On the Banks of Nettle Creek: July 2017

It is arguable that what was once endless prairie is now just cultivated fields and human settlements and no longer qualifies for the estimable title "prairie". However, when I look around me at the way the sky dominates the landscape and when I see vestiges of native prairie plants in the roadsides and forgotten corners, in my mind the prairie is still very much with us.

This afternoon Pete and I visited Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, an amazing place just half an hour from home. Midewin is the only national tallgrass prairie east of the Mississippi River and contains about 20,000 acres of restored prairie lands and forest. In 2015 bison were reintroduced to the prairie and studies are ongoing about the relationship between grazing bison and prairie health and restoration. Right now in July many of the tall grasses are coming into their own and many, many species of native prairie plants are in bloom. I find it a magical place and one that inspires me to keep at the task of planting prairie plants here on the farm.

It's been just over a year since we planted 1,972 (!) plugs of native prairie plants around the house here at the farm. Most of them survived the first year and first winter and have even reproduced beyond my wildest imaginings. Some bloomed early in the spring but the summer ones are just now coming into their own.

Culver's root

St. John's wort (a shrub)

Rudbeckia (Brown eyed Susan)

Joe Pye weed - this picture doesn't give you an inkling of the height on these plants!

Great blue lobelia

Royal catchfly

Purple coneflower with monarch and rattlesnake master in background

Coneflower with one of my bees

Yarrow

Pokeweed (which we didn't plant - it moved in by itself). This can become invasive but it is just such a danged interesting plant that I can't bear to yank it out. Maybe next year....

Hoary vervain

Joe Pye weed again

And here are a few photos taken at Midewin this afternoon. We didn't walk out far enough to see the bison but will definitely be taking our bikes over for longer explorations soon.

Yellow coneflower just coming into bloom

Beebalm in back, royal catchfly and purple coneflower in foreground

Yellow coneflower

There are many more natives in bloom out in our yard that I didn't photograph today and each variety makes me so happy. Out in the prairie grasses by the creek the beebalm and yellow coneflowers are putting on a show as the tall grasses begin their midseason climb to full height.

But of course we have lots of non-natives around the yard and buildings, too!